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Homewood Health Centre and Laurier appoint first music therapist-in-residence

Wilfrid Laurier University and The Homewood Health Centre have partnered to establish the first music therapist-in-residence at Laurier. This partnership will bring together Laurier’s renowned music therapy program and the Manfred and Penny Conrad Institute for Music Therapy Research with Homewood Health’s 134 years of leading clinical experience in mental health and addiction treatment. Music therapy uses music and musical elements to promote, maintain and restore mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health.

“Our partnership with Wilfrid Laurier University allows Homewood Health to be the connection between theory and practice for Music Therapy and to advance patient well-being through music,” said Jagoda Pike, president and CEO of Homewood Health. “We are excited to announce the appointment of Elizabeth Mitchell, as the Wilfrid Laurier University music therapist-in-residence who will be leading the music therapy program at The Homewood Health Centre.”

Mitchell will join the Homewood team in the role of music therapist and professional discipline leader. In this position, Mitchell will supervise undergraduate and graduate student placements, provide clinical services at The Homewood Health Centre, and instruct courses at Laurier’s Waterloo campus as the music therapist-in-residence. Mitchell will also partner with the Homewood Research Institute to advance the understanding and study of music therapy.

“This is such an innovative position,” said Mitchell. “I’m thrilled for the opportunity to work clinically with clients at Homewood and in turn, have that clinical practice inform both the teaching of Laurier students as well as associated research. These are all areas I am passionate about and it’s exciting to have them encompassed within one position.”

Mitchell, who received her Master of Music Therapy from Laurier and her Bachelor of Music, Honours Music Education from the University of Western Ontario, is currently completing her PhD in Music Education, also at the University of Western Ontario. Mitchell is an associate of the Royal Conservatory of Music, with a diploma in piano performance, as well as a registered psychotherapist and a music therapist accredited with the Canadian Association of Music Therapists.

“We are thrilled to have Elizabeth join us as music therapist-in-residence for this new initiative,” said Kevin Swinden, acting dean of Laurier’s Faculty of Music. “We are privileged to have found someone with such extraordinary clinical music therapy experience who also possesses such dedication to the educational mission of the university. We look forward to seeing her succeed at Homewood Health and we are confident that we will see a positive transformation in our own students as well.”

The music therapist-in-residence position is made possible through a generous donation from Bryce and Nancy (Sauder McLennan) Walker, who have a long-standing relationship with Laurier.

The music therapy program at The Homewood Health Centre will officially launch on March 17, 2017 with a ribbon cutting in the music therapy space. All media are invited to join and will have the opportunity to speak with Jagoda Pike, Elizabeth Mitchell, Kevin Swinden and both Bryce and Nancy Walker.

Ribbon Cutting Event

Location: 150 Delhi Street – Guelph, Ontario N1E 6K1

Date: Friday, March 17, 2017

Time: 1:30 p.m.

Parking

Media are asked to park in the lot directly across the street from 150 Delhi Street (parking fee will be waived) and enter Homewood Health Centre through the main entrance near switchboard where you will be escorted down to the Music Therapy space.

For more information on this event or Homewood Health in general, contact Maureen Turner, Public Relations Manager, Homewood Health Inc. by phone at 519.766.5805 or 1.800.265.8310 x3172 or by email at mturner@homewoodhealth.com.

About Homewood Health Centre

Homewood Health Centre is a leader in mental health and addiction services. With over 130 years of experience, the centre achieves outstanding outcomes every day through a national network of over 4,500 employees and clinical experts, and through the Homewood Health Centre—one of Canada’s largest and leading facilities for medical treatment of mental health and addiction disorders. Homewood Health is redefining mental health and addiction services to help Canadians live healthier, more productive and fulfilling lives.

About Laurier's Faculty of Music

Laurier’s renowned Faculty of Music is dedicated to fostering artistic and scholarly development of the highest calibre and to providing a creative environment for student success. Over the past 40 years, the Faculty of Music has positioned itself as one of Canada’s top music schools, home to world-class opera, orchestra and composition programs. The faculty is home to over 450 students across seven program offerings taught by outstanding musicians, composers and music historians who continue to be active in their own careers.